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It seems bizarre to me that we get headlines saying "Scientific study finds being hit in the head is bad for you".
Well, duh.

They are trying to learn more about how it happens, who it happens to and how to prevent or ameliorate it in the future. One of the points that came out of the research was the cumulative effects of playing from grade school all the way through college and pros. Is it just the big hits as an adult or are the effects similar with a prolonged series of smaller hits ?

One of the other points that came out was the difference between various positions played. The OL have brain-hits on every play, while a DB may only bang his helmet on half the plays- but at a much higher velocity

There is an immense amount of knowledge we don't yet have about CTE and understanding the underlying mechanisms, sequela and concomitant factors offer opportunities to make the game safer going forward.

The brain truly is the final frontier in medical science and each study contributes to our understanding, like adding pieces of a puzzle.

It seems bizarre to me that we get headlines saying "Scientific study finds being hit in the head is bad for you".
Well, duh.

They are trying to learn more about how it happens, who it happens to and how to prevent or ameliorate it in the future. One of the points that came out of the research was the cumulative effects of playing from grade school all the way through college and pros. Is it just the big hits as an adult or are the effects similar with a prolonged series of smaller hits ?

One of the other points that came out was the difference between various positions played. The OL have brain-hits on every play, while a DB may only bang his helmet on half the plays- but at a much higher velocity

There is an immense amount of knowledge we don't yet have about CTE and understanding the underlying mechanisms, sequela and concomitant factors offer opportunities to make the game safer going forward.

The brain truly is the final frontier in medical science and each study contributes to our understanding, like adding pieces of a puzzle.

There's more to it than "duh"....

We already knew lineman were at greater risk, so I'm not sure how this study advances the story. Essentially, the same story has been published for several years. And this study has a fundamental problem nobody is talking about. Nearly all the brains donated were by players or their relatives because of symptoms, or troubling behavior. Also, many of the players were in action before even the NFL knew there was a problem.

So let's do a wider study, with brains from older players not having symptoms which aren't related to age. Countless former NFL players are doing well, from running business ventures, to working at universities. Let's examine players from more recent times down the road.

As long as we have tackle football, concussions are inevitable in this voluntarily activity. The good news is how we can reduce the number, technology is just one way it will happen.

I don't know if these guys, who've trained their whole life tackling a certain way/closing in at full speed, can retroactively do it. It's like taking a drag racer who's raced on big daddy slicks/wheelie-bars and having him race with 10.5" drag radials. They're going to crash into the wall.

It would take for the NFL to shut entirely down, for at least a decade and then have newly trained blood come in and try to implement Rugby tactics with NFL style rules.

Absolutely. The tackling technique in most NFL games is horrible. We aren't that far removed from when ESPN used to have the "jacked up!" montage reel on their football shows. Elite college players and NFL players really just don't know how to tackle without using their head. It is something that's going to take a long and heavily invested cultural change.

We already knew lineman were at greater risk, so I'm not sure how this study advances the story. Essentially, the same story has been published for several years. And this study has a fundamental problem nobody is talking about. Nearly all the brains donated were by players or their relatives because of symptoms, or troubling behavior. Also, many of the players were in action before even the NFL knew there was a problem.

So let's do a wider study, with brains from older players not having symptoms which aren't related to age. Countless former NFL players are doing well, from running business ventures, to working at universities. Let's examine players from more recent times down the road.

Without solid clinical research to back it up its difficult to "know" anything. It seems logical enough, that OL would have more impacts but the proof is in conducting gold standard research under rigorous control.

The same story hasn't been published for several years.
Its a larger and more comprehensive study than anything ever undertaken in the past, that's really moving the ball forward.

We can't yet do a study in living patients because the technology to do so is still in development. Many are hopeful that its on the near horizon.
What we can study in the living patients does offer some hints, but CTE isn't like an infectious disease where you run a blood test and say Yes or No.

In the study, the PI offered us some insight on your suggestion for a wider study.

"About 1,300 former players have died since the B.U. group began examining brains. So even if every one of the other 1,200 players would have tested negative — which even the heartiest skeptics would agree could not possibly be the case — the minimum C.T.E. prevalence would be close to 9 percent, vastly higher than in the general population."

Its a degenerative, progressive disease, so while some have not yet succumbed to the symptoms, it doesn't mean there isn't a problem.
And we certainly want to know why some get it while others may not.
That's similar to any disease research. Why do some smokers get lung cancer while others don't ?

I agree that we are looking retrospectively, that's the limitations of the current medical practice.
But there are other confounding variables here that also play a role and need further study.

The size and athleticism of the current players exceeds their counterparts from decades ago - and that means nastier collisions from a physics point of view.
How is that any "safer" ? Do steroids and PEDs have a role ? What about the hard surfaces of the old Astroturf vs modern playing fields ?

The game is different today and some rules changes may make it worse on the brain (narrowing of the hash marks) and some may have helped. ( no hitting defenseless WRs)

That's why more research is needed and that's why this seminal work really matters imo. Others may feel differently and that's fine.

I think the innovation that needs to happen is around the contact rules in the NFL rather than with the tech. A person sprinting coming to a sudden stop will always be bad for the brain.
Even if they have a soft helmet.

Rugby players need to be put through the same scrutiny, & have their brains examined before we can safely assume that. Hardly any former rugby players donate their brains for research.

Recently, rugby has had concussion & head-knocks issues galore at the pro level. And some serious incidents, including deaths, in the lower levels. (Union / League)

Outside of New Zealand, & perhaps Wales? Plus, a handful of tiny Pacific Island nations, rugby takes a back seat to sports with much higher profiles. Football is the complete opposite, it's the highest profile sport, in one if the world's largest markets. The spotlight on concussion related issues, such as CTE, is incredibly intense.

Now, you may be right? And rugby players may be avoiding the effects of CTE. Or, you could be wrong? And the game may be in denial about the long-term effects of playing rugby.

The problem is rugby players aren't lining up to donate their brains to science. Until they do that, we have no way of knowing.

Rugby's current attitude towards CTE, feels eerily similar to where American football's used to be, before the overwhelming evidence came to light.

- Assuming CTE is a boxing issue, & not football related. Only this time, the assumption is that CTE exists in football, but isn't a serious concern for rugby.

In the long run we may have to accept that humans just aren't built to collide with each other.

Suicide rates of NFL players relative to other people of their income/age/etc demographics would probably be interesting to look into actually.

According to the NFL's Operations website - which has curated sources to debunk what can be perceived as information detrimental to the league - NFL players commit suicide at less than half the rate of American men.

This, of course, should not deter the league's and elements outside the league to pursue long term player safety.

Suicide rates of NFL players relative to other people of their income/age/etc demographics would probably be interesting to look into actually.

According to the NFL's Operations website - which has curated sources to debunk what can be perceived as information detrimental to the league - NFL players commit suicide at less than half the rate of American men.

This, of course, should not deter the league's and elements outside the league to pursue long term player safety.

Thats surprising because rich people generally commit suicide more than poor people as well. I think famous people more than non famous people as well. Add on the post retirement difficulties (years of adulation suddenly coming to an end), the difficulty adjusting to a "normal life", the other health problems, I wouldn't have been surprised with a higher suicide rate even before taking into account the head injuries,_________________CHAMPION - 2014 FF prediction game.

fortdetroit wrote:

None of us are on the team or had anything to do with the games. If you want to brag about accomplishments that other people accomplished and you had nothing to do with be my guest